Bag opening and filling device



.H35- 2, 1957 K. YOUNGBLOODV 2,780,901

BAG OPENING AND FILLING DEVICE Filed July 20, 1953 INVENTOR. KNOWLESYOUNGBLOOD ATTORNEY United States Patent 2,780,901 BAG OPENING ANDFILLING DEVICE Knowles Youngblood, Atlanta, Ga. Application July 20,1953, Serial No. 368,880 2 Claims. (Cl. 53-384) This invention relatesto a bag opening and filling device, and more particularly to such adevice which is particularly adapted for use in wrapping mens shirts.

Various devices have been used by laundries for wrapping and protectingmens shirts which have been freshly laundered, and the practice is nowbecoming widespread to enclose the freshly laundered shirts incellophane bags. Heretofore, when this work was done entirely by handand without the aid of a machine, the work was time consuming andlaborious. Various machines have been designed to aid in opening thebags and placing the shirts therein, but such prior art devices have notbeen entirely satisfactory for the reason that they were complicated andexpensive to manufacture, and many bags were ruptured by their use sothat much waste occurred.

An object of my invention is to provide a bag opening and filling devicewhich is provided with rigid sides and a positively limited upwardopening.

Another object of my invention is to provide a bag opening and fillingdevice which is particularly adapted for use in wrapping mens shirts.

Another object of my invention is to provide a bag opening and fillingdevice which is simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture andefiicient in operation.

Other and further objects and advantages of my invention will becomeapparent from the following description taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings in which like characters of reference designatecorresponding parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the bag opening and filling deviceaccording to my invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation, partly in cross-section, of the device shownin Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the device shown in Fig. 1.

Referring now in detail to the embodiment chosen for purpose ofillustration, an elongated base is provided on its upper surface withsupports 11, 11 upon which is fixed a substantially horizontal feedingtrough 12 which is provided with upstanding side walls 13, 13. Theentrance end of the feeding trough 12 is positioned substantially overone end of the base 10, and the trough is of such length that thedischarge end thereof is positioned substantially over the longitudinalcenter of the base 10, the trough 12 being spaced above the base 10 bymeans of the supports 11, 11', as best seen in Fig. 2.

The upstanding sides, or guide rails, 13, 13', are upright for a littlemore than half the length of the trough 12 from the entrance endthereof, and then the side walls of the trough commence to roll inwardlyto form a converging discharge spout 14 which is open at the top thereofexcept where covered by'the rolled side walls 13, 13', and where coveredby a top opening member 15 which is pivotally connected at 16, 16 to theside walls 13, 13', respectively. The discharge spout 14 is substantially elliptical, and the top opening member 15 terminates a littleforward of the terminal end of the dis "ice charge spout 14, as bestseen in Fig. 3, and the contour of the member 15 substantiallycomplements the contour of the converging discharge spout 14 so as tofit down over the side walls 13, 13', as shown. It will be observed thatthe top opening cover member 15 is pivotally connected to the trough 12adjacent the forward extremity of the member 15 so that the upwardswinging movement of the discharge end of the top opening member 15 ispositively limited by the forward edge of the member 15 striking againstthe side walls 13, 13, as best seen in Fig. 2. In the fully openposition shown in full lines in Fig. 2, it will be observed that thebottom of the trough 12 and the top of the member 15 are substantiallyparallel, these two members diverging slightly in this position in adirection opposite the convergence of the trough 12, for a purpose to beexplained more fully hereinafter. The forward edge of the member 15 isturned upwardly slightly at 15' to provide a lip for use in theoperation of the device.

At the end of the base 10 opposite the entrance end of the trough 12,there is provided a storage receptacle 16 for holding a supply of bags17 to be filled. A bag held in open position on the machine is shown at18, and a shirt to be placed in the open bag 18 is indicated at 19.

In the operation of my device, a supply of bags to be filled is placedin the receptacle 16, and the bags are taken one at a time and placedabout the discharge spout 14 with the top opening member 15 in thelowered position shown in broken lines in Fig. 2. Thereafter, pressureis applied by the hand to the lip 15 to tilt the top opening member 15upwardly to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 2, whereupon thebag 18 is distended and firmly held open and in place on the dischargespout. The slightly diverging position of the member 15 with relation tothe bottom of the trough 12, as seen in Fig. 2, aids in holding thedistended bag 18 firmly in place on the discharge spout. Also, it willbe noted that the upward movement of the member 15 is positively limitedby the forward end of the member 15 striking against the side walls 13,13' so that there is no danger of the member 15 opening too wide andthereby rupturing the bag 18. Each machine, of course, is proportionedin accordance with the size of bag to be used, and it has been foundthat bags made of cellophane, and the like, have a certain amount ofresiliency so that they can be stretched to fit tightly about thedischarge spout 14 when pulled in a vertical direction by the upwardlyopening member 15, and experience has shown that a pull in thisdirection can be'greater than a sidewise pull which quickly rupturesthese bags. According to my invention, it will be observed that the pullin distending the bag is in a vertical direction, rather than in asidewise direction, inasmuch as the sides 13, 13' are fixed in position.

As soon as the bag has been opened about the spout 14, a shirt placed inthe filling trough 12 can be forced by hand into the convergingdischarge spout 14, and the side edges of the shirt will be rolleddownwardly and slightly tucked under by the converging side walls 13,13', and by reason of the fact that the floor of the trough 12 isinclined downwardly toward the discharge spout 14 from a point aboutwhere the side walls 13, 13' commence to roll inwardly. Thisconstruction is very important, inasmuch as shirts from a laundry arecustomarily provided with cardboard stiffening devices (not shown) whichmust be constricted slightly by the converging discharge spout in orderto slip quickly and easily into the distended bag 18. Because the sidewalls 13, 13' are fixed in position, the force exerted in rolling theedges of the shirt and the enclosed cardboard stiffener is expendedagainst the fixed side walls in my device, rather than against the sidewalls of the bag as in prior art devices in which the side walls 3 ofthe filling spout are movably mounted for use in opening the baginto'whichthe shirt is" to be put. Such prior art constructions often causerupture of the bag by reason of the pressure exerted on the side wallsof the bag when the shirt is forced'through the discharge spout. Also,it willbe observ'ed'that my device isespeciall'y designed to preventdamage to the collar of the shirt',-the collar being the most importantpart and being often provided with special cardboard reinforcing. Theprior art'devices-have resulted in a stripping of this collarreinforcement from the shirt, but' my device provides an upturned lip 15which guides the collar beneath the flat top opening member 15 whichreally protects the collar and assures a smooth sliding fit of the shirtinto the bag 18.

After the shirt has been inserted into the 18, pressure on the lip 15 isremoved and the member 15 drops down to the position shown inbrokenlines in Pig. 2 as soon as the filled bag is removed from the dischargespout 14.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that many modificationsand changes can be made in the embodiment shown and described withoutdeparting from the scope of my invention as defined in the followingclaims.

I claim:

1. In a bag'opening and filling device, a feeding trough having asubstantially fiat, bottom and upstanding side Walls, the rearcnd'portions ofsaid' side walls converging toward each' other and beingrolled inwardly over said bottom to constitute a converging dischargespout at the rear end of said feeding trough, saiddischarge spout beingopen'at the top and substantially elliptical in cross-section, a topopening member having a contour complementing the contour of saiddischarge spout and pivotally .connected thereto at each side thereof,said top opening member extending rearwardly'into substantiallycoterminal relation with said spoutand having a forward portion arrangedfor engagement with said side walls to limit upward opening movement ofsaid top opening member so that said top opening member and the bottomof the discharge spout diverge slightly toward their rearward ends whenthetop opening member is in fully open position, andfan upturned-lipon'the forward edge of saidtop opening'member to which pressure may heapplied to cause said discharge spout and said top opening member toexert distendedbag flat bottom and upstanding side walls, the rearportions of said side walls converging toward each other and being ofarcuate-form and rolled'inwardly over said bottom the rear end portionsof said side walls converging to form a converging discharge spoutextending lineally from said feeding trough, said bottom extendingslightly downwardly in said discharge spout from a point where saidsides 'commence to roll inwardly, said discharge spout being open at thetop and substantially elliptical in cross-section, a top opening memberhaving a contour complementing the contour of said discharge spout andpivotally connected thereto at each side thereof, said top openingmember extending rearwardly into substantial coterminal relation withsaid discharge spout, said top opening member having a forward portionarranged for engagement with said side walls to limit upward openingmovement of the terminal end of said top opening member so that said topopening memher and the bottom of said discharge spout diverge slightlytoward saidterminal end when said top opening member is in fully openposition, a receptacle on said base for bags to be filled, saidreceptacle being aligned with said feeding trough and said dischargespout, said receptacle being positioned mainly beyond said dischargespout and having an end lyingtherebeneath, and an upturned lip on theforward edge of said top opening member to which pressure may be appliedto cause said discharge spout and. said top opening member to exert asubstantially vertical distending pull on a bag when an end thereof isplaced about said discharge spout and said top opening member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,317,292 Nash Apr. 20, 1943 2,597,364 Nash May 20, 19-52 2,640,638Nichols June 2, 1953' 2,656,082 Brown Oct. 20, 1953' 2,685,996 Shofr'neret al Aug. 10, 1954.

